Stirring a legal brew, workers at India's
Ghazipurprocessingplant, built by the
Britishin 1820, wield wooden paddles in
trays of raw opium (above). The gum
dries in the sun for eight to twenty days
to reduce the watercontent from 30 to 10
percent.When dried, the opium is
formed into five-kilo loaves (below).
Tray upon tray, each holding 35
kilograms (77 pounds) of opium, fill the
yard at the Indiangovernment's other
plant in Nimach (right). Guardspatrol
constantly to deter diversion to the illicit
drugmarket. Workers must shower at
the end of the day to remove tracesfrom
theirclothes and bodies, and opium is
then extractedfrom the runoff water.
The authorandphotographerwere
requiredto clean their shoes before
leaving the plant.
India supplies two-thirds of the opiates
requiredannually by pharmaceutical
companies in the United States,
its best customer. It also sells to the
U.S.S.R., France,the United Kingdom,
andJapan.
158